R (National Council for Civil Liberties) v Secretary of State for the Home Department

Subject Matter

CRIME — Public order — Public assembly — Police’s statutory power to impose conditions on public processions or assemblies to prevent “serious disruption” to life of community — Secretary of State’s statutory power to make regulations amending provisions regarding meaning of “serious disruption” — Whether such power limited to clarifying rather than altering meaning — Whether regulations made by Secretary of State ultra vires such power — Public Order Act 1986 (c 64), ss 12(12), 14(11) — Public Order Act 1986 (Serious Disruption to the Life of the Community) Regulations 2023 (SI 2023/655), regs 2, 3

[2024] EWHC 1181 (Admin); [2024] 1 WLR 5398; [2024] 2 Cr App R 11; [2024] WLR(D) 234, DC

[2025] EWCA Civ 571; [2025] 3 WLR 543; [2025] 4 All ER 954; [2025] WLR(D) 238, CA

NATURAL JUSTICE — Consultation by public body — Fairness — Secretary of State voluntarily conducting consultation — Whether entitled to choose whom to consult — Whether one-sided nature of consultation rendering it unfair

[2024] EWHC 1181 (Admin); [2024] 1 WLR 5398; [2024] 2 Cr App R 11; [2024] WLR(D) 234, DC

[2025] EWCA Civ 571; [2025] 3 WLR 543; [2025] 4 All ER 954; [2025] WLR(D) 238, CA

CRIME — Public order — Public assembly — Police’s statutory power to impose conditions on public processions or assemblies to prevent “serious disruption” to life of community — Secretary of State’s statutory power to make regulations amending provisions regarding meaning of “serious disruption” — Whether Secretary of State empowered to lower threshold set by “serious disruption” requirement — Whether regulations made by Secretary of State ultra vires such power — Public Order Act 1986 (c 64), ss 12(2A)(12), 14(2A)(11) — Public Order Act 1986 (Serious Disruption to the Life of the Community) Regulations 2023 (SI 2023/655), regs 2, 3

[2025] EWCA Civ 571; [2025] 3 WLR 543; [2025] 4 All ER 954; [2025] WLR(D) 238, CA

NATURAL JUSTICE — Consultation by public body — Fairness — Secretary of State voluntarily engaging with policing bodies regarding legislative proposals — Whether such engagement constituting formal consultation so as to attract requirements of procedural fairness

[2025] EWCA Civ 571; [2025] 3 WLR 543; [2025] 4 All ER 954; [2025] WLR(D) 238, CA

Appellate History

Commentary

A Lawyer Writes
Protest law was unlawful Case comment

Liberty to protest Case comment

Administrative Court Blog
Seeking views on “sufficiently crystallised” proposals will not always engage Gunning requirements for fair consultation Case comment